Seeing the flurry of commentary, speeches, etc that has come out after the recent US election has gotten me thinking. Why is it we expect the loser in a race like this to come out and make some grand speech? Good sportsmanship? A sign of class? I mean, the guy just lost out on something he had been working towards for the last 12 to 18 months; I suspect he isn’t too thrilled with the outcome. I would love for one of these runner-ups (Romney for this example) to come out and say something like:

“Dammit, I thought we were going to win this one. Congratulations President Obama. We wish you all the best. You will be in our thoughts and prayers as you continue to represent and lead this great nation.”

Simple and to the point. Yes, it doesn’t have the same flowery appeal as what we normally hear, but I would find that quite refreshing. We all know you are tired and disappointed – let a little bit of it out! Now, I am not saying that the runner-up(s) should be not be gracious, or should be rude in some way. All I am saying is, you’re not a robot; don’t see much reason in acting like one.

Anyone else getting a bit tired of all of the canned responses we seem to get from the losers?

Why is it that as soon as I have discovered manual transmissions they are going away?  Seriously, has someone been following me around, waiting until I decided that a good ol’ standard transmission could add a significant amount of pleasure to daily commute?  I know it took me around 10 or 15 yrs to get here, but I’m here now dammit!  Sure, I can find a Toyota Camry with a stick, but it has been stripped down to nothing, and probably is impossible to actually find at a dealer.  Sure, if I want to spend over 35k, my options open up greatly.  Is it too much to ask to find a nicely equipped family sedan with a manual transmission?  Hell, I would take a well-equipped two-door sedan!  For all of you out there who are going to pull out some random sedan that fits these descriptions, you are missing the point.  Yes there are exceptions to the rule; but they are just that, exceptions.  I would like as many options as possible when choosing something that I will likely be paying on for the next 5 years or so.  Not sure what I will end up with when I end up buying another car, but I do know that I will start with the transmission and then move from there.